The Portland daily press., 1887-07-22
BEGINNINGS OF FORTUNES
Capital not Always the First Necessi.
ty for Establishing Industries.
rCol. H. W. Pinckney. in Dixie. i,


money. in hundreds of different ways in this
county. and it isa mighty good thing that
this Is so, else over-production would be the
rule, not the exception. know a man who
is getting rich out of baby swings. It's a
simple, cheap thing to make, and he started
in simple and cheap way to make them, his
entire outfit of tools comprising two saws, two
saw benches, draw shave, two hand planes,
a brace and some bits, a rough work bench
He didn't stand around with hands in his
pocket waiting for somebody with capital to
come along and boost him. Not much. He
thought these swings would sell, so he made
one and peddled it around until he found a
purchaser. Then he made another and sold
that, and thus he kept on until finally people
began to think his swings were a good thing
to have in the family, and they began to in
qulre for them. lie started eight years ago,
and alone did all the work of making and
selling them. Things with him are verv diff
ferent today. He has a shop two stories in
height, and machinery for saving, planning.
boring, mortising, turning and sandpapering
the material entering into the construction
Of these swings. In that shop forty men find
constant employment, and, as i said before.
the owner is getting rich out of it. Counting
the wives and children of the worklnen in
that shop, there is population of nearly or
quite one hundred and fifty making living
out Of one mans idea that a baby swing
would SELL. baby swing is not q very big
thing, but 1t Is in this case big enongh to
keep quite little village busy and comfort
able.
A step ladder is a mighty handy thing to
have around the house. Five years ago
three men, by the closest kind of scraping,
twisting, and borrowing, managed to get to-
gether i've hundred dollars. They bought
some lumber, rugged up a circular or buzz
rip saw, and started in to make step ladders
For two years It was struggle of the hardest
kind; sales had to be made by personal can
vass, prices obtained permitted no margin of
profit, and the outlook was of such a dis
couraging nature that their friends and
nelghb0rs pitied them first then prophesied
dead failure, and finally laughed at their fol-
ly In sticking by losing game. There came
change, however. A prominent house-fur-
nishing goods firm one day wrote them for
prices on. five thousand ladders. The size .of
this possible order very nearly took them off
their feet. They had sense enough, however,
to understand that this big house would not
give them the order unless prices were made
a way down, so they sat down and figured
the thing over, and having decided that mat
ter, awaited the result, which turned in their
favor, and they got the order. Then they
went to work; each one took his coat off and
pitched in; they worked sixteen hours day
until that order was filled, and il was filled
on time, andIeach ladder was honestly made.
The only expense they realized was for lum
Der. screws and paint They had done all
the work themselves. This was the turning
point in their business career Within a
month from the delivery of these five thou
sand ladders they had contracted with the
same house for a monthly supply of two
thousand five hundred. They were on their
feet now and began to push things. They
are turning out to-day, with fifteen men, ten
thousand step ladders each month, and have
been doingithis for more than year. A step
ladder is little thing, but these men are
making money out of them.
About fifteen years ago, in one of the bIp
planning mills in Chicago, strip of board
catching, in some unaccountable manner, on
a buzz saw. was hurled with violence against
the leg OF one of the workmen, breaking it
and badly mangling the flesh. The injury
resulted In incapacitating the man for per
forming the labor required of him in the mill,
and he was compelled to seek other means
OF livelihood. A man of fine mechanicai at
attainmetns, his endeavoErS-yery naturally
sought outlet in that direction, SO he built.
aisel MS own Ideas> "A scroll or fret saw, foot
unable TO stand dor any length of time, and
pegain saving Gut and putting together arti-
olcs l9l nVuiseA0ld ornament and utility. He
aeesaaq1e;u W as simply a temporary means
~ ~ h biisSg& living. After time he added
and then little turning lathe Then he
DS2sht a cheap set of carver's tools. You
See he was always looking out to save
labor and to combine originality in the
articles he turned out. Time ran along and
almost before he knew it he was get
ting more orders than he could alone fill.
so he hired man to dress and prepare
his materials, ley out the patterns, and
put the articles together Still his orders in
creased, and he hired another and still an
other man. To-day he has thirty men in his
employment, and he does no physical labor
himself. Making money? Yes, right along,
but 1t was "a very little thing that gave him
the start.
Now, the point l wish to make it this:
Capital, in large amounts is not necessary
in the founding OF industrial enterprises A
good deal Of pluck and energy, and uncon-
querable perseverance, are better than
money, because, having these, money be-
comes the result, not the means of success
Money Is valuable, not as the means
by which an end may be accomplish
ed, but rather because it is the result
OF an accomplished end. 1t has power, i'm.
mense power, but without energy behind it,
1t Is powerless. Perseverance and energy
can make money, but money cannot make
perseverance and energy. What | would
like to see in our sunny south is more small
Industrial establishments. | would rather
see dozen shops employing three men each,
imam one shop employing three dozen, be-
cause there Is greater possibility for their ex-
pan sion and growth. Don't wait for the
establishment of big enterprises with heavy
capital, but start little ones in modest way,
and then let them grow, as the majority of
them surely will.